Friday, June 2, 2017

Jared Kushner, Hillary Clinton and Me

Just so you can relax, there's nothing here having anything to do with either Jared Kushner or Hillary Clinton. The title of this post was intended to prove a point to myself, which is where the "Me" comes in. The point is this: Ordinary people, even intelligent ones like my friends who read this blog, are drawn to celebrities like moths to a flame. (Excuse the hackneyed metaphor but it fits perfectly here.)

A couple of days ago I wrote about the evil one, Kathy Griffin, and her bloody, decapitated head of Donald Trump stunt, and my clicks went through the roof, despite her being a mediocre-at-best comic with little to teach any of us (except maybe to think before we act). I was sort of surprised at the amount of interest despite knowing this to be true in my heart: celebrities own us. Still, one can hope that maybe someday, average people will care about average people, thereby diminishing the power of those empty-headed celebs.

So, here come the questions: What is the draw? Why do we care about people we have never met and will never know? How do their shenanigans help any of us advance to a higher consciousness or find peace of mind, and isn't that what we all want? Has knowing the latest Hollywood gossip ever resulted in finding a better job with a higher salary, having more toned abs, or affording a house on the Riviera? Is living vicariously still living?